Making Plans

"So Arceus came to you in a dream when you were only five?"

"Yep."

"And it literally told you that the world will be destroyed in the future?"

"Pretty much."

"And for some reason, you decided not to tell ANYONE about this, despite it literally being the end of the world?"

"That's right."

"""..."""

I could feel the incredulous stares I was receiving from the four men. Well, three of them at least. Ash was still pouting that I kept something like this from him.

"Ace, did you really think to tell NO ONE about this? I mean, this is the kind of thing we would have needed to know years ago to be able to stand against it." Bill said in a disappointed voice.

"And how many people would have actually believed me?" I asked him back, to which Bill stayed silent.

That was my biggest reason not to tell anyone the truth about myself, aside from the girls of course. And even they were a massive gamble back in the day.

Hell, I still hadn't told anyone the truth about me being reincarnated either, aside from Lucario several years ago. He probably doesn't even remember it.

"If I had mentioned this back in the day, then you're asking for the League itself to move and make preparations for Armageddon based on a five year old having a bad dream. Plus I only would have called Team Rocket's attention to myself with how many of their members are within the League. I'm pretty sure having me on his payroll would've been Giovanni's wet dream. Hell, his daughter DID try to recruit me after the Houndoom incident."

That made everyone blink since I had never shared that particular fact either, though Lucario knew since he had been in the room with me when Giana and I talked.

"Ace being a part of Team Rocket.....is genuinely terrifying to think about..." Bill muttered, with me not even needing to read his mind to know he was imagining just that.

"But still... How come you knew all of this and still didn't try to make any preparations?!" Gary demanded irritably.

"I did though?" I told him, as if confused by his question, before lifting my arms to show my biceps. "Meet prep, and ration."

The girls giggled at my joke while Gary facepalmed at me, though I did lower my arms and said in a different tone,

"Seriously though. What do you think Lucario and I have been working towards all this time? I studied to get the highest marks possible on the trainer exam, became an official breeder to have access to the best possible care and resources for my pokemon, and even joined the Rangers so that I can hear about any major events that take place in the world. What more could I do by myself aside from walking around with a sign saying 'the end is near' while ringing a Chingling?"

Gary was silent after my little speech, which had effectively silenced the others as well. Well, most of them.

"By why didn't you tell me Aniki? I would have believed you!" Ash pouted tearfully.

"Haaa... Because Ash, you can't really keep a secret to save your life." I told him bluntly, and it was the complete truth. I can still recall the time he was so bad at lying about who snuck cookies from the cookie jar, that mom caught onto him instantly. That was only a month before we started our journey.

"But still..." Ash still pouted at being left out.

"Well, if you recall I DID help you train and learn so you'd be better off if you got dragged into things." I told him seriously. Even when we were children our 'games' were usually designed around developing our bodies, and prepping the both of us for the future. And when we got older, I actually began training him seriously to help him develop his body, battle sense, and aura.

"Even so... Ace, you mentioned Team Aqua and Team Magma earlier, correct?" Bill asked, moving the conversation in a more productive direction.

"Yeah. They're criminal groups that are active in Hoenn right now, but May would probably know more about them since she's from there."

Every eye turned towards May when I said that, who just shrugged as she said, "don't look at me. The only thing that's been truly confirmed to the public about either group, is that they're extremists who were excommunicated from the cults of land and sea.

"Though they were aggressive towards each other in the past, recently they've been moving towards more progressive ways of thinking, namely that the land and sea need to coexist. Teams Aqua and Magma however have been pushing for supremacy regarding their specific beliefs. The former wants to expand the ocean since it is considered the origin of all life, while the latter believes we need more land to cultivate and grow. Though I guess we know now how they plan to accomplish those goals..."

All of us were silent as May finished speaking. It was all more or less old news to me, but for everyone else it was shocking to discover the lengths either side would go.

"Unfortunately, they're not like Team Rocket." I said, drawing attention back to me as I continued,

"Team Rocket has always focused on two things, power and wealth. To this end, they are a criminal syndicate that have several brutal and violent thugs amongst their ranks, and let them run wild so long as they could make money off of them somehow.

"Teams Aqua and Magma on the other hand are working towards a concrete goal that may earn them more sympathizers. And they're not the only ones either."

As I said that I fished out my Pokenav, and opened a file with a few videos that I had saved before they were taken down from Pokevision. I selected one of the videos, and set the Pokenav so that everyone could see what was being played on it.

In the video was a small group of people dressed in outfits that made them look like they were from a medieval drama, complete with a coat of arms with a blue P on the chest.

"Greetings." The man in the center declared.

"We are Team Plasma, of the Unova region. We fight for true equality and prosperity alongside pokemon, to liberate them from the detestable practices of being 'captured' by trainers, and then being forced to battle one another in barbaric bloodsport. Both of these NEED to end!

"That is why we are sending this message out to any and all who share the same ideals! Join our forces, and together we can liberate all pokemon from the miserable lives they are forced to live!"

"Let them be free from the League of tyranny!"

"""Let them be free from the League of tyranny!"""

The video then cut off as the people on screen began chanting for the freedom of pokemon everywhere, leaving a stunned silence in the room.

"I get that there are trainers out there borderline cruel to their pokmeon, but pokemon themselves do not hate partnering with humans and battling for them. From what I can tell, this group focuses more on forcing their ideals onto others without a single thought to the consequences." I explained to them.

I knew nothing about Team Plasma from the games, as they came after Diamond and Pearl, the last games I had played when I was younger. Everything I knew about them was from information gathered after reincarnating, namely from Pokevision, and by comparing them to a fairly similar group from my previous life.

"Well, it's not really a bad thing if people were nicer to pokemon." Joy said thoughtfully.

"You're right, but that's not what they're after." I said, before Lucario spoke up,

"If all they wanted was to ensure pokemon received better treatment from their trainers, then I doubt there would be much of an issue. But from what I can see they want to 'free' all pokemon from their trainers, and prohibit battling. Though not all pokemon value battling, seeking strength is necessary in the wild where a lack of it could lead to one being eaten.

"Plus the benefits of joining a trainer far outweigh the cons if the trainer in question is decent. The amount of opportunities we receive are vastly increased, while it also increases our standard of living by a fair amount. I only ever hear how happy the pokemon traveling with us, as well as those living with the professor, are."

I smiled wryly as everyone looked at Lucario in awe from everything he just said, while both Bill and Tracey practically had stars in their eyes.

"It's so amazing hearing things from the perspective of an actual pokemon!" Bill exclaimed in awe.

"I agree! Though I can learn a lot about them through my observations, it's an entirely different thing to hear it from them directly!" Tracey added while looking at me with envy. I suppose my ability to understand what pokemon were saying DID give me a tremendous advantage over other trainers, breeders, Rangers and even the professors.

"Regardless..." I said, trying to get them back on track.

"The other teams that are forming around the world are far different than Team Rocket, and they are openly advertising themselves on the Pokenet to gain followers, even from other regions. Depending on how they advertise themselves, they could cultivate a massive amount of supporters on an international level. Teams Magma and Aqua are no different, especially since there's thousands, if not millions of people who specifically depend on either the land or the sea for their living."

Everyone was silent as they absorbed what I had told them, before Bill asked, "Then shouldn't Teams Aqua and Magma be our utmost priority then, instead of Team Rocket?"

"No." I said while shaking my head.

"Firstly, that will require me to give up all of the progress I've made in disrupting Team Rocket's operations. The time I spend focusing on Teams Magma and Aqua will give them a chance to lick their wounds, and rebuild the criminal empire that we have been working to destroy. Secondly, is Mewtwo."

"Mewtwo?" Ash asked while cocking his head to the side in confusion, along with Tracey.

"Yes, Mewtwo." I confirmed to them, before continuing,

"Mewtwo is a Legendary that was created by Team Rocket through cloning the DNA of Mew itself. Though he is still a newborn, he already possesses the strength to take on other Legendaries and true alphas."

"I thought he wasn't a threat anymore?" Gary asked.

"HE isn't, but what about Mewthree, Mewfour, or Mewfive?" I asked back, making him pale.

"You mean theres MORE!?!" He demanded irritaby.

"No. But what's to stop them from making more in the future? Mewtwo may have destroyed the lab he was created in, but the time he spent with Team Rocket means they may already have what they need to either make more of him, or something similar. Either way, a weaponized Mew that is completely under their control is too much of a danger to risk. Even more so than Groudon and Kyogre. We CAN'T allow that to happen at any cost."

There was a grim silence that permeated the room after I finished speaking, as everyone presumably imagined what I had described. Ash and Tracey may not have heard anything about Mewtwo until now, but the idea of ANY Legendary being under Team Rocket's control was still terrifying to think about.

"Even if you can't shift your focus onto Teams magma or Aqua just yet, that doesn't mean we have to wait to begin searching for this Rayquaza." Bill said eventually.

"Regardless of whether or not we prevent their awakening, if what Dragonite said was true, Groudon and Kyogre will awaken at some point in the future anyways. While you're focusing on Team Rocket, I can arrange a group to start searching for Rayquaza. If only we knew WHAT we were looking for...."

"Here." I said while pulling out my notebook, and handing over the page with Rayquaza's drawing on it. I didn't know how accurate it was since I drew it according to memory, but it would give them a general idea.

"Also, here's Groudon and Kyogre. And keep in mind that I have no idea the scale of their size."

There was a collective sense of awe as the guys looked over the drawing of the three Legendary pokemon, before I pulled out a few more pages as well.

"For good measure, these are also the creation trio that Dragonite mentioned as well. The lord of space, Palkia. The lord of time, Dialga. And finally the Fallen, former lord of balance, Giratina."

Again, the three of these were drawn from memory, so they probably weren't completely accurate. But they were better than nothing.

"Do you think someone might try to do something with them?" Bill asked seriously.

"It's possible. The Sinnoh region specifically has a special relationship with the creation trio, namely in the Diamond and Pearl clans that revere Dialga and Palkia respectively. It's also the home of Team Galactic, who may be planning something with either, or possibly even Giratina itself. Either way, we need to keep an eye on them."

"To think, we all thought these groups were just thugs running wild... I mean, Teams Aqua and Magma made their plans plain from the beginning, but no one truly understood the scope of what they were after. If the rest of the Teams running around are after similar goals, then I truly fear for the future..."

Once again silence descended upon the group, which was broken only when I stood suddenly.

"It's getting early. If anyone wants to get at least a few hours of sleep thenI suggest you try to do so now. Ash, I fully expect you and your pokmeon to participate in my training with my team in the morning. And no, I won't accept you being tired as an excuse not to join."

Ash grumbled at my words while I turned to leave, before Gary stated, "Count me in as well!"

"Oh?" I asked while turning to look back at him.

"Yeah! I need to see for myself just what I'm doing wrong. And don't think I'm gonna let you keep getting further ahead of me!" Gary declared with determination in his eyes.

"Alright." I said without needing any time to think. The more powerful trainers there were out there, the harder a time the criminal groups would have. Speaking of....

"But in exchange, I want you to travel to Vermillion city with us to help take on Surge."

Gary blinked when I told him the condition for letting him train with us in the morning, before he blurted out, "And why do you need MY help? I already have the Gym Badge, and you walked all over us."

"Yeah, but I'm not asking about the Gym Badge. I'm asking about taking down one of Team Rocket's upper executives."

"!!!"

"What are you talking about?!" Gary demanded sharply.

"Only that Surge, as well as Sabrina, are both executives amongst Team Rocket. But, due to a lack of evidence aside from my personal source, the League is unable to convict either of them, or move without alerting them. I intend to deal with Surge when we get to Vermillion, and thought you'd be interested in joining us."

"..."

Gary was silent after hearing what I had to say, his mind seemingly racing with that bomb, as well as everything that had been dropped since I had arrived.

First I curbstomped Ash in a battle, and then him, then there was everything we discussed at the top of the lighthouse, meeting Dragonite, and finally everything we've dscussed since. It had been a LONG night for Gary.

"Just think about it for now Gary. We're not leaving until tomorrow." I told him, before leaving to go talk to someone else.

The first thing I did after exiting the lighthouse was set up the house so the girls could go to bed, while the Pokemon Center was already set up after our battles earlier.

I then headed off into the woods surrounding the lighthouse to the two sources of aura that I could detect. The first was one I was familiar with, while the other was one completely unfamiliar to me.

The reason why was obvious enough when I arrived at a small clearing to find Janine standing there in full battle attire, and a single man who was hanging upside down with his arms and legs bound.

"Another assassin?" I asked her, to which Janine barely reacted as she slowly nodded her head. She most likely knew I was coming, despite this not being one of our usual sparring nights.

"They've become more frequent after the videos of your battle against that Snorlax were posted online. That's only to be expected with any publicity though, along with us getting closer and closer to Vermillion." She explained before opening her hand and blowing some powder into his face, which then made the man go completely limp while falling unconscious.

"What are you gonna do to him?" I asked curiously, not because of some stupid notion of valuing life, but out of genuine curiosity.

"I already know he's got no information of value to me, so I'll dispose of him while also sending word to my clan. If he's got a bounty on his head, then they'll collect it on my behalf."

As Janine explained this she cut the man down so that he fell roughly to the ground. Once there, she pulled out a vial of some kind before spinkling a few drops onto his body, which then quickly began to dissolve before our eyes. The man was even still alive, though he didn't react in the slightest as his body deteriorated.

That was genuinely terrifying.

And as the man's body broke down, Janine continued as if it was an everyday occurance, "As for his pokemon, they'll be sent to my clan as well to be evaluated. Depending on their condition, they may become a part of the clan, be sent to the Safari Zone, or go through rehabilitation from whatever it was he put them through."

I nodded slowly as we watched the final moments of the assassin, which I could even feel the exact moment his body died through his aura and the state of his mind. I had to admit though, despite how horrifying this method of dying appeared to be, it seemed like an awfully convenient method to get rid of evidence...

"So, is there anything you wanted?" Janine suddenly asked, ripping me from the morbid thoughts as I looked at her.

"Yes actually. Since we're just a few days from Vermillion, I wanted to know if you could run ahead and scout out the city. Namely following Surge around and learning the finer points of his operation. You don't have to do anything other than gather intel."

Janine gave me a look that basically said 'are you serious', before saying in an annoyed voice, "You do realize my job is to protect you from scum like this, right? NOT to be your lackey."

"Yes, I'm well aware." I assured her. "But we're only a few days from Vermillion, and we plan to leave in the morning. Plus I would feel a LOT better if we knew what we were walking into once we get to the city, as well as the full extent of Surge's operation."

Janine nodded slowly in both agrement and contemplation of what I had said, seemingly thinking about the idea. If we wanted to completely remove the plague of Team Rocket from Vermillion, then we needed to know the full extenct of their operations and influence. And unfortunately, Jessie didn't know all of the details regarding their setup in Vermillion city.

"Very well, I'll go." Janine said eventually.

"You and Lucario can easily detect any potential assassins that come after the bounty on your head, so it should be fine to leave for a few days. Just don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." She stated pointedly, probably referring to both how I broke my hand by punching Zapdos, and how I battled Primeape the day I captured King Onix.

"I'll try not to. Things should be fairly quiet on our way there, plus we'll probably be traveling with my brother and Gary Oak." I told her, which would help reassure her since Gary was fairly well known by this point as well.

"Alright then, a larger group would make it harder for someone to overwhelm you on the road." Janine conceded after a moment of thought, before turning to leave.

"I'll go now, and send you regluar reports through Golbat regarding my progress." She stated while calling out the nocturnal pokemon, before it proceeded to pick her up and fly westward to Vermillion city.

"Awww... No goodbye kiss?" I lamented as she flew off, and I'm pretty sure she heard me since I felt her aura become flustered after my comment.

I smirked at the cute ninja, before turning back to the lighthouse while debating if it would be worth it to try and get some sleep for an hour or two, or to simply stay up until morning.